Anberlin On How the Egyptian Uprising Inspired "Someone Anyone"

2012 has been a big year for Anberlin. The alt-rockers opened for Smashing Pumpkins on tour, released a greatest hits collection and put out Vital, their sixth album, in October. Plus, they write songs with meaning behind the words. Crazy concept, right?

When the band sat down with Fuse, frontman Stephen Christian explained how the 2011 Egyptian Revolution inspired "Someone Anyone," their latest hard-charging single.

"'Someone Anyone' is the closest we'll get to a Marvin Gaye 'What's Going On' type of song," Christian says. "Watching the revolutions that happened in Egypt was so awe-inspiring. To see a civilization that was known for animosity and bloodshed come together in unity and protest an entire government and change the face of that region forever. That's the foundation that grounds 'Someone Anyone.'

"Writing songs with social messages is absolutely imperative to me," Christian says. "These songs are going to outlast us. They'll go on for years."

Anberlin also talked about touring with Smashing Pumpkins this fall. "Billy Corgan gave us a lot of compliments in different interviews, but we still have no idea where he first heard Anberlin," Christian laughs. "But Siamese Dream… every time I heard them play those songs live, I was transported back."

Anberlin also explained why they've accepted the genre designation "Christian rock," even if it isn't the first adjective they'd use to describe their music. To hear them talk about that, check out the full interview above.